Keeper of the Flame
by okmangeez
Summary: Thousands of Jedi are hunted down as Palpatine seizes control of the galaxy. The surviving Jedi flee into isolation to avoid the ever-expanding Galactic Empire. Yet hope emerges from the ashes of the Jedi Order as Grandmaster Yoda takes one final student under his wing. The fate of the galaxy is forever changed with the survival of a child during Order 66.


They were running out of places to run, and the two Jedi with her knew it too.

Jedi Padawan Bene Malreaux had fought in minor skirmishes on the planet of Dantooine during the Clone Wars, but this was _vastly_ different to anything she had faced before. Instead of facing battle droids or Separatist mercenaries, she was now fighting against clones, soldiers of the Republic that had fought with the Jedi for years. And it wasn't a friendly practice battle either.

It was a battle to the death.

She had already witnessed dozens of Jedi being slain by the blaster fire of the clones. For every clone that died by the blade of a Jedi, three more rose to take their fallen comrade's place. They were spreading through the Jedi Temple like a disease, wiping out any Jedi that they saw and going deeper and deeper into the Temple to kill the remaining ones. She had killed at least a dozen clones in her attempt to escape the onslaught, but she still had ways to go before reaching her destination.

"Padawans," Jedi Master Cin Drallig muttered in a quiet voice. "This way."

Bene nodded her head and motioned for her twin brother Whie to follow. They were currently several floors below one of the hangers, which Master Drallig believed would be heavily guarded. However, there was no chance of escaping through the entrance and there _was_ a chance that the upper levels of the Temple had not been secured by the clones. Even with Drallig's reassurances, however, Bene felt an emotion that she also felt on her first engagement on Dantooine.

Fear.

All three of them had their lightsabers ignited, utilizing the Force to check their surroundings. While Bene heard blaster fire, it was not on the floor that they were currently in and the rooms that they passed by were eerily quiet. When she passed by them, she could see why.

Dead bodies were strewn across the floor, both clones and Jedi alike. There were also corpses of doctors and Temple security guards lain on the floor. But what truly made her horrified was the final room on the floor, which made even Master Drallig screech to a halt.

The room was an Intensive Care room, which housed Force Sensitive babies and kids that were too young to become Younglings. Nearly all the beds in the room had a baby in it, and every one of those babies was dead. There were also corpses of several caretakers with blaster burn marks on their chests, a clear sign that they were taken by surprise and killed the clones immediately.

Master Drallig went through all of the beds, inspecting every single body despite their constraint on time. He seemed to age a decade for every corpse he inspected. his previously neutral expression slowly being chipped away. "They're _dead_. Even the young children too."

From the corner of her eyes, Bene saw her twin dry heave into one of the beds, before falling back once he realized just what he was putting his head _into_. Drallig gestured for them to quickly leave when she felt a small disturbance in the Force.

"Wait, master," Bene whispered out before the master could step outside. He turned around to say something but stopped when they heard voices of clone troopers in the halls. They swiftly hid their presence as a small clone squad passed by them.

"Good call, Padawan. They would've known we were here if I had stepped outside," Drallig let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry. I was a bit disturbed and distracted seeing all this..."

Bene shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant master. There's still something alive in this room, other than us."

The master looked surprised but closed his eyes in an instant. "I do feel a presence, towards the closet."

Before either her twin or the master could do anything, Bene flew across the room and opened the closet, her right hand on her lightsaber just in case. Instead of finding a clone or something that desired to kill her, she came face to face with a small boy. The child was no older than 3 and was dressed in a small and simple robe. He looked unharmed and unfazed about his surroundings as he immediately walked up to the padawan.

"One of the caretakers must have pushed him into the closet before the massacre began," Master Drallig suggested as he knelt down to look at the boy. "He's sensitive to the Force. We must take him, or he'll be killed by the remaining clones."

Bene also knelt to see the boy eye to eye. Despite his age, his dark brown eyes looked unbelievably deep and wise as he inspected her face. His small hands touched her face, which prompted her to gasp. The place where he made contact with her made her feel more _awake_ than before. It was as if his presence was enhancing her connection to the Force. She was able to feel the presence of the remaining Jedi and winced as she felt a Jedi die every second. She was also able to sense the faint Force presence of the clones, their location serving as a form of radar in her head.

"Is there something wrong, Padawan?" Drallig asked as he looked at her with concern in his eyes.

She quickly shook her head. "No, master. It's nothing. Let's get moving before the clones find us."

Grabbing the little boy and tying him on her back with a blanket, the female Padawan carried the boy despite the insistence of the other two Jedi. As the child squirmed on her back, she felt the Force swirl around her, enhancing her senses and movement. They ran out of the room as fast as they could and began their ascension to the upper floors. Master Drallig led the group towards the hanger, but it was Bene that guided the group away from massive groups of clones using her new ability. The few isolated clones that they did meet were dispatched quickly.

Before they could enter the main hanger area, the three Jedi hid behind some pillars and witnessed two Temple Guards locked in combat with clones. The Guards were pushing the clones back until the blaster fire stopped and a lone figure stepped forward. The figure's face was covered by the hood of his robes, but he pulled out a lightsaber and ignited it. The blue ray of energy descended upon the two masked Jedi, quickly overtaking them and forcing them on the defensive.

"Why is a Jedi helping the clones?" Whie asked with shock as the two Temple Guards that were fighting the figure began to tire out against the constant onslaught.

Master Drallig summoned his lightsaber and turned to the two Padawans. "I don't know, but I can't let him aid the clones in killing the remaining Jedi. There is a path through the room on our left. Go through there and it will take you to a secluded landing pad. Escape, and do _not_ return to the Temple. Trust in your abilities and the Force, but do _not_ let anyone know you are a Jedi. You may be some of the final survivors of our order and you _must_ live on. Hurry, before you are found. May the Force be with you."

Without letting the two Padawans protest, the master joined in on the fray against the traitor. Whie took a step forward to help him, but Bene pulled him back. She dragged him into the room Master Drallig had mentioned and pulled her brother aside. "The master told us to _escape_. Don't you get it? He's sacrificing _his life_ so that _we_ can live."

"But we can't just let Master Drallig fight by himself!" Whie cried, now realizing the intent behind the master's words. "He has a better chance of living with us being with him!"

Bene knew what her brother was saying was true, but she felt the presence of the young child on her back before she had any rebellious thoughts. Strangely, the child had been silent the entire time and she nearly forgot that she was carrying him, but he was still her connection to the greater Force. She didn't know why, but she _knew_ that she had to bring this child to safety. Something about him was different, in a good way, and she could feel the Force spurn within him. She couldn't risk the life of the child by following Master Drallig.

"He's not saving just two of us, Whie. He's making sure we're saving another generation of Jedi." Bene replied as she tilted her back to show the child on her back. "We're leaving. _Now_."

Whie looked at the child and then back at his sister before nodding. "Alright. Let's go then before it's too late."

The two Padawans ventured through the tunnel that connected the room to the small landing pad. When they arrived, they were immediately greeted with the presence of a dozen clones. However, Bene managed to see a speeder on the pad, along with a man and five clones. She ignited her lightsaber and moved in sync with her brother, the Force connecting both of them as they launched the attack.

Despite being armed and alert, the clones were taken by complete surprise as Whie and Bene raised hell. The clones that were near the speeder were quickly dispatched before the remaining clones could react. Bene herself took down four of the clones as the Force seemingly guided her emerald lightsaber to strike. Whie stood on the defensive to guard his sister while she approached the man. The man was tall, with his facial hair well kept and expensive robes on his body. She didn't know if he was friendly to the Jedi, but the Force whispered in her ears that he could be trusted. As she unwrapped the child from her, she could feel the pleasant sense of the Force fade away. " _Please_ , take him. And escape before the clones get to you!"

Surprised, the man accepted the child and went into his speeder. "Is it true? Is it true that the Jedi have rebelled against the Republic?"

Bene turned around to assist her brother as she answered. "No. It isn't."

Before she could re-ignite her weapon to join her brother, a burst of the Force threw her into the speeder. The man, startled by the sudden movement, took off from the landing pad with great haste. She managed to recover to see her brother let out a small smile before he readjusted the grip of his cyan lightsaber and charged at the clones. Reinforcements had arrived and Bene could make out her brother bravely taking down half a dozen clones before his lightsaber hand was grazed by blaster fire. That was all it took to take down his guard and the clones put several well-aimed shots into the body of her other half.

She looked away before his body could hit the floor, tears spilling from her eyes. But to her surprise, something flew into the speeder before they could disappear from the view of the landing point. Bene turned around to see what had entered the speeder, only to find the child, attentive and alert, with her brother's lightsaber in his hand. She looked at the lightsaber in disbelief as the young boy stared at her with curious and calm eyes.

* * *

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi looked greatly distressed as he exited General Grievous' fighter. His usually calm demeanor was replaced by one full of anxiety and worry. Even when he saw Master Yoda limp towards him, his expression barely changed. "Master Yoda, I'm glad that you're safe."

"The same I feel, Kenobi," Yoda replied, his hands tightly gripping his staff. His face betrayed nothing as he guided the younger Jedi Master to a meeting room.

Kenobi walked beside the old Grandmaster and glanced around. "Are we the only ones that escaped?"

Just then, a young female human in Jedi robes came out of one of the rooms and greeted the two Jedi masters. "Master Kenobi, thank the Force that you have also made it."

A small sigh of relief escaped Kenobi as he spotted the Padawan braids and the lightsaber hanging from the female's belt. "Padawan Malreaux, so some of the others have survived."

The Padawan looked at her feet as Yoda tapped his staff on the floor. "Only two escaped from the Temple did they. Managed to find no others, we have."

"Only two out of thousands?" Obi Wan's head sank into his right hand. "Padawan, do you know what happened at the Temple?"

Bene looked distressed but managed to answer the master's question. "The clones, they came in droves. All of us were taken by surprise and they killed every Jedi that they saw without any mercy. I saw dozens of Jedi I knew fall before my very eyes and I only sought a way to escape. I only managed to escape with a child because Master Drallig and my brother sacrificed themselves so we could escape."

"I'm sorry for what has happened, Padawan. No one should have experienced what you went through," Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"One more detail, master. There was a Jedi aiding the clones. Before I separated from Master Drallig, he went on to aid some Temple Guards that were fighting someone with a blue lightsaber."

Master Kenobi looked at Yoda for guidance, but even the old Jedi didn't seem like he had the answer. "If there is a traitor, it would've certainly been easier for the clones to breach the Temple. They may have lifted the security measures and guided the clones to all hidden rooms and tunnels. That might also explain the emergency beacon being activated, ordering all living Jedi to return to the Temple."

The three Jedi entered a conference room, where Senator Bail Organa was sitting by himself. In the presence of the Jedi, the senator bowed to the two masters and gave a curt greeting to the Padawan. "Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, Padawan Malreaux. Thankfully we managed to extract all of you before you could be executed as traitors."

"Traitors? The Jedi are traitors?" Kenobi questioned the senator as the three sat down.

Senator Organa nodded. "The Chancellor has sent out a holo-message to all senators, warning them of potential Jedi criminal activity. We have been ordered to assist the Republic troops in rooting out and hunting down remaining Jedi. I'm guessing that the emergency senate meeting has something to do with his message from yesterday."

Upon hearing this, the Grandmaster tapped his staff on his chair to gain everyone's attention. "To the temple, Kenobi and I will go. Change the beacon message and look for surviving Jedi, we shall. To avoid detection, use the Senate meeting we shall."

He turned to the Padawan before he continued. "And to save the knowledge of the Jedi, we shall. Continue, our order _must_."

"I... I will go with you, masters. There is a better chance of your mission succeeding with another Jedi by your side." Bene volunteered, her eyes mixed both with worry and determination.

Before Yoda could answer, Kenobi answered her request. "No, Padawan. You must stay behind. If we do not come back, you may be the final member of our Order. We can not take the risk."

Her protests fell on deaf ears as both masters were steady in their decision. Finally, Bene relented and let the subject drop. Master Kenobi gave a small smile to the dejected Padawan as she reminded him greatly of his own Padawan.

 _Anakin._

Due to the situation, he had completely forgotten about the fate of his own Padawan. Suddenly, Kenobi had another important reason to return to the Jedi Temple.

 _Anakin was on Coruscant when the clones attacked the Temple. I must return and see if he's still alive_.

A small part of him assured him that Anakin was alive, but he was still deeply worried. And it didn't reassure him that nearly everyone he knew was now dead.

* * *

Everything had been planned. Senator Ogana would return to the Senate building in order to attend the emergency session and report everything back to the remaining Jedi. Master Yoda and Kenobi would head to the Jedi Temple and carry out the necessary tasks in order to revive the order. And Padawan Malreaux would remain with the Force Sensitive child and stay behind in the case that the two Jedi masters did not return.

Before the departure, Master Yoda stepped into the room with the child by himself. Padawan Malreaux and Master Kenobi were alone together, with Kenobi attempting to teach the young girl anything useful before his mission. The child was sleeping soundly in one of the bunks as Yoda reached out with his small right hand and placed it on the forehead of the boy.

It was unlike anything the Grandmaster had felt before. His connection to the Force deepened and his already vast senses became even clearer. He could feel where the last few Jedi remained and hear the pained voices of the fallen Jedi across the galaxy. He could even force the previously hidden Sith Lord, his presence looming over Coruscant. As he struggled to remove his hand, a vision flashed through his mind. One that would burn permanently into his memory.

In the vision, Yoda's left side was surrounded by bright and burning white light. To the right of him, a void of darkness and emptiness stretched for an eternity. There was chaos where the two sides touched. The light and the darkness both lashed out angrily in the center. Both sides began to pull at Yoda, beckoning him to come to their side. As Yoda struggled with the sudden pulls from both sides, the young boy that had been rescued from the Temple materialized from the air and landed at Yoda's feet. Immediately, the pull from both sides disappeared and both the light and the darkness began to swirl together.

 _The Chosen One. A balance must be made. Light and Darkness which neither can prevail. A new Order._

Yoda returned to his senses and stumbled backward. He inspected his surroundings to confirm that he had returned to reality. He gripped his staff and tapped the boy on the shoulder lightly. "Strong with the Force, you are. A balance, you will become."

With those parting words, the oldest Jedi in the galaxy looked at the child one last time before leaving.

He knew that he needed to return. He had one _last_ student he needed to teach.


End file.
